TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a dispensing container in general, and in particular to a dispensing container for containing and dispensing large quantities of fluid or granular particles having a handle integrally formed within the container which encircles the center of gravity of the container when the container is full providing a mechanical advantage assisting in the dispensing of packaged articles while also providing a mechanical advantage when the container is less than full.
Many containers have been created for containing fluids and granular particles for dispensing. A handle provides the means for lifting and tilting the container. However, generally, the handle is not advantageously located to provide an optimum mechanical advantage to the user when the container is both full and partially full.
For large containers containing large quantities of fluid or granular items, the containers are very heavy and difficult to operate. In general, the fluid or granular particles are intended to be dispensed which requires the container to be lifted and carried to the ultimate dispensing point and rotated such that the fluid or granular articles may flow from the package design. However, the handle is typically merely suited for positioning of the hand and is not constructed for assisting the user in dispensing the fluid or granular particles. A design of such a dispensing container is illustrated by FIGS. 2A, 2B, 4A and 4B which is a container distributed by United Industries Corporation of St. Louis, Mo. This container has a handle with a center above the center of gravity of the container when the container is full and also partially full. Such a design while useful for its intended purpose, does not provide a satisfactory degree of mechanical advantage for assisting a user in dispensing the contained articles. Such assistance would aid users, such as elderly individuals, who have difficulty manipulating the heavy containers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an elongated handle for providing maximum mechanical advantage for rotating a container for dispensing when the container is full or partially full.
Also, it is an object of the present invention, to provide a container having a handle which enables the user to position the grasp of the container at a point located around the center of the gravity of the container when the container is full for assisting the user in dispensing articles;
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container having a handle which enables the user to position the grasp of the container at a point located around the center of the gravity of the container when the container is full which also has a central position which is also in vertical proximity to the center of gravity of the container when the container is only partially filled for providing a mechanical advantage for dispensing articles.